New beginnings for 2022, Looking forward to it.

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Steve Carpenter

10 Jan

The New Year is here, still a crazy world out there and I am not taking any risks to get ill again, I got all my shots, I then caught Covid and then at Christmas got a cold almost as bad as the New Omicron, what a shit start to the year for sure, but- I have got the cold just about beat, still coughing like a badly tuned motor, but I am on the road once more.

For over 20 years I have rented a building for what I do, we all throw away good money on rent and the Landlord is the only person that makes anything out of that, but- this year is all different, about 7 months ago we put in plans for a barn to be built on the 1 acre we have here in La Habra heights. We had to jump through the many hoops and have many inspections, but at last we are now making some great progress.

Once the Concrete slab was laid and left to cure for a whole month, we started to get the Barn ready to go together on Wednesday, the sun was out and the rain storm we had for a week before had gone, this is a really excited time for Carpys Garage and wanted to share some of the build with you.

A great Company that makes steel Barns for many years was the choice that we went for, robust and affordable, a steel skeleton is constructed and bolted with high grade bolts to the Concrete floor, this is a sturdy set up and am glad that we went this route.

I have no idea how I am going to decorate as yet, that all takes time and of course money, but the main thing is to get the workshop put together and then see what I can do to make it my own and have fun creating what I do from the comfort of home. And not a drive to work either.

This will indeed be the perfect place for inspiration and dont have to worry about parking, or the street sweeper etc or the Land lord coming by to increase their rent, this is a bitchin set up and super stoked to be doing this.

It is the perfect size for me and although will take a little time to dial in, it will be such a relief to jump out of bed and stroll up the yard to the Barn and begin to make parts or create builds to offer the Customers all over the globe.

I wanted a Red Old style Color Barn as the area we are in has many Ranches etc. And we thought this color will fit right in, hope to find an old Cart Wheel later to add to the side and of course old industrial Lights to mount outside, along with a Cow or Bull skull with Horns.

Lots t do but making great headway and will be a fun project as we go along, some might not understand the importance of your own workshop, but those who do, will really get how stoked I am to be in this situation.

Eventually I shall decide on a cool Barn door, as I don’t want just a regular roll up, they are noisy too, so I am looking into a few styles with Jennifer to see what would look good on the front.

It is also a nice wide opening, so I can get my bikes and Hot Rod in there with no issues, the run off is super good if we do get any more of the wet stuff.

Just wanted to share the news with all you lot, I know that a lot of you will be stoked for me and I look forward to making brand new parts here from the countryside of ideas.

Its Bulldog approved now and she will enjoy hanging out again in the garage as she was in many of my shops and loved hanging around in the workshop all day.

So, thanks for reading my little Blog and I will show more of when I have got other stuff finished in the Barn, but good things are happening and many thanks for sticking by me.

Thought I would show the New Little CB350RS HONDA that’s out and about, very Nostalgic looking, what do you think?

Happy New Year Everyone

Posted on January 1, 2022January 1, 2022 by Steve Carpenter

01 Jan

Here we are 2022 at last, man – What a crappy 2020 and glad to see the back of it and start a fresh and hope that we all have some good health and enjoy life as much as we can.

I somehow caught the Flu over Christmas and it Royaly buggered me up, Only about 80% right now but at least I am up on my feet, and I wanted to make sure that I did a bit of work at the house and get a few things ready for when My Barn arrives for assembly on Wednesday.

I have a few Projects I would like to finish this season and I hope my health gets a lot stronger as I took quite a whooping last year with Covid and the Flu, so lets all keep our pinkies crossed that we are all fine and can go and wrench on our machines to our hearts content.

There are many things that I hope to make and offer on my website for all the avid Motorcycle builders out there, I receive so many emails and texts about what you lot are up to, it drives me to help get your machine completed, and sure hope that you can complete yours this year to get on the tarmac for the new season when it eventually arrives where ever you are located.

Just wanted to wish you all a Very Happy New year and thank you for all of your orders, emails, phone calls and texts, I love chatting to you all and look forward to continuing great communication with you in this New year we have all started.

Look Forward to seeing what you are all creating and maybe see you on the road one of these days?

Here is something to have a laugh at at days gone by back home 1965.

Sunday and plenty to do in the Garage

Posted on August 9, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

09 Aug

Hey you lot, hope things are OK with everyone? And you are trying to get on with your Motorcycle Project in this Pandemic. I am still flat out playing catch up and thats a good thing to be busy.

With the weekend crashing by so fast, its hard to sometimes catch up on a daily Blog, but I try as I know many people read what I am up to etc and like to hear from readers of the things they are doing to their 2 wheeled machines in this strange times that we are in right now.

I have a multitude of things I have to try and get sorted, over 50 more exhausts to build, more Tee shirts to design and I have a 550 Honda to Rebuild Carbs, a Triumph Scrambler that needs a service and a bunch of Customer orders I need to pack and get ready to ship for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be my 58th Birthday, hard to believe that I am approaching that bloody Golden age in 2 years, but I feel like I am in my 30’s and thats because I have a great girlfriend that helps me in what I do and achieve, and having a strong support system is paramount when it comes to a business. And with Jennifer at my side, we can accomplish much more than if i was trying to do it all on my own. She rides her Own Motorcycle and I am so fortunate that she has the same passions and interest as I do, we make a great team.

Well, I am going to get a few things done but I was thinking of things I may like to do some day and I thought about Hill Climbing on two wheels, its a fantastic sport for spectators too, maybe one day I will have a go, id prefer a Vintage bike but hey if the opportunity arises, I’d give these bikes a shot. Have a great Sunday everyone.

Get the parts you need for your Build this season

Posted on March 19, 2018January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

19 Mar

Well, for many the weather is just starting to ease of a little, Spring is almost here and I know a few of you will already be in the garage or shed, with the heater on, trying to figure out what to create with your two wheeled machine. Spring mostly brings great weather and I am sure that by now, you are ready to jump in head first to build your Custom Motorcycle and get the bike out on the tarmac as quick as you can.

Be it a Cafe Racer, A Cool Brat style, a Full on Custom or a wicked Tracker style, we have the parts that you are looking for, and with over 4 decades of building Motorcycles, I do my utter best to help you create your machine and get the parts out to you as fast as I possibly can.

Many people email me about their machines and ask for ideas or just inspiration, I have been there many times and you eventually hit a wall in the design process, but many hands make light work and many ideas from people certainly help mold that design into a more solid Concrete build and then, you are off and working like crazy to get the idea out onto the road.

I too have a few long projects that need to be completed, I also offer Servicing to full builds and, have enjoyed doing this in Southern California for over 18 years.

If I can help with anything, even if its advise, call 714-598-8392 or even text and I will do my very best to help you out, this industry is a fun and creative one and I hope that I can be of some assistance to you, this is not just a job for me, its my life and I continue to push the envelope on parts where I can.

Plenty to do at the shop

Posted on June 8, 2014January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

08 Jun

Well, the weekend was here and I have a ton of stuff to get done and out the way but that’s a good thing right?

Sunday we were at the drags watching Dakota race as he is still points leader at Irwindale and at Fontana.

Right now I have a few exhausts to try and get figured out, I have started on the GS1000 exhausts and now I shall be tackling this Z900 as well as a Kz 1000 and some other models that I have been asked for.

Busy time of year at CCR and I shall have to start to burn the candle at both ends for a bit to get the workload out of the way.

Just wanted to do a quick blog and let you know what we are up to as of late.

Also building this little bar Hopper Brat style machine for someone out there, with an old CB550.

But now it is time to get this exhaust done for the Z900 as this bike is going to Japan and I have orders for quite a few already out there, so must crack the whip and get things done.

RUSS COLLINS, A legend with CB750’s PASSES AWAY!

Posted on May 12, 2014January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

12 May

So sad to hear the news of my hero Russ Collins passing away, I was gobsmacked when I heard ten minutes ago, this guy was an icon of mine and many around the world, he may be gone but NEVER forgotten. RIP Russ!

If you are into CB750 Honda’s, then you would of heard of Russ Collins.

Russ Collins

Russ Collins was one of the leading motorcycle drag racers and drag bike builders of the 1960s and ‘70s.

He was a hero of mine and got to see that bike run over in the UK, and now there is a documentary about him and of course the Sorcerer triple engined CB750 SOHC Drag bike, that is now going to be restored.

Born in New Jersey 1939, he was into anything mechanical and his interest in cars lead him to be an accomplished car mechanic and a body man, he later get into trucking business and drove around the country. He fell in love with California and moved there.

He became a shop manager and a mechanic in motorcycle dealerships. While there, Honda unveiled the revolutionary CB750 Four and he got one to play with.
Collins built a four-into-one exhaust system that a lot of Honda owners wanted, so in 1970 he quit his job at the motorcycle dealership and opened RC Engineering, which later became a leading maker of racing fuel-injection systems for Japanese-made sports cars.

What I like about him most is that he was radical in the drag racing scene; he was racing the new Japanese machines while everyone was on the normal British or American-made drag bike of the time. Collins also showed up in sporting colorful red, white and blue leathers when everyone was in all black leather suits.

He built “Assassin”, a fuel injected, supercharged 400hp CB750 and kicked ass in smaller class. so decided to compete in Top Fuel and had some success. But the biggest problem he faced in Top Fuel was a huge displacement disadvantage compared to the big Harley-Davidsons and Triumphs.

He decided to put 3 CB750 engines together. The machine, he named “Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe “– named in honor of the famous railroad line of the late 1800s. The three-engine Honda was featured in bunch of motorcycle and drag racing publications and was probably the most famous drag bike of the 1970s. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe set numerous records and Collins rode it to the first seven-second quarter-mile turned on a motorcycle in Ontario, California, in 1973. It even became the first motorcycle to win NHRA’s coveted “Best Engineered Car” award at the Springnationals in 1973

Check out this awesome page below.

The bike was so powerful and heavy that it proved to be very hard to control and in 1976 the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe was destroyed in a horrendous accident in Akron, Ohio. The crash nearly killed Collins and put him in the hospital. He must have realized how ridiculous the bike was, so petitioned for banning 3 engine drag racers. But as a true grease monkey, while recuperating, he dreamed up V8 engine out of four cylinder Honda motors.

The bike he named “the Sorcerer” featured dual Honda 1,000cc engines. This bike won a second “Best Engineered” award for RC Engineering and proved to be the fastest motorcycle ever built by the company. Collins ran a record-setting 7.30 second/199.55 mph run on the Sorcerer. That record stood for an astonishing 11 years. Collin still lives in LA area and runs the RC engineering and was inducted in AMA Motorcycle of Hall of fame in 1999.

Russ Collins built the ‘Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe’ drag bike with 3 nitromethane-powered CB750 engines in 1973. It nearly killed him three years later.

I have never met Russ Collins but seeing as he is not too far from me, I am going to phone him and ask if I can at least say hello.

CB400 4 into 1 exhaust now completed and available for $400

Posted on December 28, 2013January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

28 Dec

OK-here we are with yet another great 4 into 1 exhaust system that’s made from 0.49 Cold Roll and looks like the old Racing exhausts of yesteryear.

This is for the good old Honda 400-4 Super sport model 1975-1978 and I love the way that this fits and looks on the motorcycle.

Now, these will be available as Raw steel as you see here and also as a ceramic coated version too, but that’s a little more money.

Have a look and see what you think, as we had to make one for this machine and I may as well make a jig and continue to make them for this model bike.

This is good value and better than the Mac pipes you see out there and, this has the nice sweep to it too.

Later on we might offer stainless but for right now these raw steel versions are a great addition to your ride, you can chrome it, ceramic coat it, high temp paint it or wrap it, your choice when you get it to your place.

We are happy how this looks and I thought I would make some to get out there for the start of the New year as it is just around the corner now.

We send these out via fed Ex and we also ship around the world via USPS, shipping inside USA is about $45.

Much better than the stock version and this really does suit the motorcycle when you have it all fitted.

We are making a few different exhausts for these machnes now and the next one will be for the CB350 – Four models.

If you own a CB400 and want something a little different but has a great look and unique sound, then you have found the place.

This morning we shall fit this model to the CB400-4 and you can see what it looks like compared to the stock bike, here is the Stock bike right now below.

.See how this fits up tight against the original bracket on the stock bike, we do not fit a bracket as that’s up to you as some people cut the old loop off the frame.

Hugs well to the bike and of course, easy access to the Oil Filter too.

A nice clean look and ready to go onto your machine.

This comes with a capped baffle too and you will like the look.
.

Now, we can ceramic coat it or you can do that your self, you can coat it or even wrap it.

See the Capped baffle, sets it off nicely.

we are glad to get this completed, maybe later we might make stainless versions.

I love the style and the look, this was easy to fit too.

.yes, that’s right, you can use the stock main stand if you so wish and it will not foul the pipe.

My Front Brake Is Stuck On, what do I do?

Posted on December 20, 2013January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

20 Dec

My front brake is stuck on and I cant move the bike.

OK, this happens a lot, the longer the bike has been left unattended in storage, the more the chance that the brake fluid has gone all goopy and gelled up.

Now to free the thing temporarily, you whack the caliper body with a Rubber mallet, this will shock the piston back a bit.

Bleed the brake until fluid comes out of the bleed nipple, you know, on, off, on, off etc.

Once clear is coming out, try the brake, if it still stick, then I usually take the back of the caliper off and then with the nipple locked tight, I simply press the brake lever until the pad and piston pops out.

Keep checking fluid levels in the master cylinder though.

There is 2 ton of pressure there and this will push the piston out, make sure you have some rags over it as it can POP under pressure and get brake fluid all over the joint, and paint does not like brake fluid at all.

I then take the caliper off, remove the piston and “O” ring and I then clean it all out with lacquer thinner.

I use a Dremel Rubber wheel and hone the bore of the caliper out to get any tiny corrosion marks out and then I clean the recess out for the “O”ring.

If the piston is pitted I usually make new ones on the lathe from stainless, that way it will never rust or corrode in the body again, its the rust pitts that catch the wall or the seal and stop it from sliding back into the caliper body.

Then – I simply fit a new ring and clean the piston up and put her all back together, re-bled and there you go, a functioning brake once again. Taa Daaaar! –

We sell a Brand New Piston though that is machined out of Stainless steel and this will fix the issue that you are having from your old piston.

Grab a spare, just in case your old one does take a bit of a crap and the pads are sticking.

Always plenty to do at the shop.

Posted on November 12, 2013January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

12 Nov

Wow! Almost Thanksgiving already- where does the time go I ask ya?

But I now have a New Helper- “Bailey Onassis Carpenter ” is now on the payroll, she is my security system and next year will be up to about 50 pounds of charm!

Just wanted to show all you out there that I have a great new addition to the family and boy am I happy.

She loves to sleep right now but I feel like this shop has a home feeling now and everyone digs Bailey when they see her.

Things here at the shop are as busy as ever, and we are going to be bringing out a few more other things, like more parts and more apparel too.

I have plenty to do and it is always great when I come up with another part or design.

We will be having all sorts of tee shirts, so keep checking back on designs, as you may well know, I am a mad Hot Rodder too and I drew the shirt above.

Below is one of our many lamps we are making at the shop and makes a great present.

I want to add more tee shirts and more things like exhausts etc for all models, like cb350,cb400 and I have a 4 into 2 set coming out for the SOHC next month .

So keep staying tuned to this website and we promise to offer more and more to you out there.

The exhausts are going well and getting great reviews with the owners, available in Raw steel, Black or stainless steel now.

MECHANICAL LAMP FOR SALE $249.00

Posted on July 12, 2013January 30, 2020 by Steve Carpenter

12 Jul

Well here at C.C.R. we try and do all sorts of things and this time I wanted to show you a cool lamp we just made.

This is perfect for the Gear head in your family and am sure that they would like it in their garage, workshop or office.

I used my CB750 parts and a couple of Hot Rod parts to make this cool set up. and over 18 inches high this is a really cool look and is functional as well.

Good luck knocking it over as it weighs in at a nice and solid 30 pounds.

All made here at the shop I wanted to have that steam punk look and show that we are into mechanical things, the parts you will see are from the good Old CB750 HONDA and have used the Brake Rotor, The Clutch and basket,the gear tumbler, the gearbox and the front wheel spool, to turn this into a head turning Table lamp.

This has 2 lamps and a cord with a switch, so all you have to do is find somewhere to sit the thing, plug it in and there you go, a great shop lamp.

Have a look and see what you think, as this is a great set up and I know you will like it, plus its hand made and everything is what is in the shop.

Of course we can ship anywhere around the globe too. Thanks for looking.

PRICE $249.00 714-996-4597

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